Phased array antenna system

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are provided for implementing a phased array antenna having a boresight direction. A scan angle within a defined range of scan angles is selected for the phased array antenna such that the selected scan angle is different from a scan angle associated with the boresight direction. An antenna port impedance associated with each of a plurality of antenna elements comprising the phased array antenna varies with the scan angle of the phased array antenna. A plurality of amplifiers are each coupled to an antenna port of one of the plurality of antenna elements. Each of the plurality of amplifiers is configured such that a maximum value for a performance characteristic of the plurality of amplifiers is achieved when an impedance at the antenna port corresponds to the selected scan angle.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/978,909, filed 14 May 2018 incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates generally to the field of communications, andmore particularly to a phased array antenna.

BACKGROUND

A phased array, or electronically scanned array, is a controlled arrayof antennas that creates a beam of radio waves which can beelectronically steered to point in different directions without movingthe antennas. In an array antenna, the radio frequency current from thetransmitter is fed to the individual antennas with the correct phaserelationship so that the radio waves from the separate antennas addtogether to increase the radiation in a desired direction whilecancelling to suppress radiation in undesired directions. Directionalregions of high gain, referred to as “beams,” are formed by shifting thephase of the signal emitted from each radiating element to provideconstructive and destructive interference to steer the beams in adesired direction. The relative amplitudes of the signals radiated bythe individual antennas determine the effective radiation pattern of thearray. A phased array may be used to point a fixed radiation pattern, orto scan rapidly in azimuth or elevation.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one example, a phased array antenna is provided thatincludes an array of antenna elements having a beam with a boresightdirection. A plurality of phase shifters are responsive to commands toadjust phases of a plurality of radio frequency (RF) signalscommunicated with the array of antenna elements. A controller providesthe commands to the plurality of phase shifters. The provided commandsare used by the plurality of phase shifters to direct the beam within arange of scan angles relative to the boresight direction. A plurality ofamplifiers amplify the plurality of signals. Each of the plurality ofamplifiers is coupled to an antenna port of the array of antennaelements and has a performance characteristic that depends on antennaport impedance at the antenna port. The antenna impedance varies with ascan angle of the beam within the range of scan angles, and theamplifiers are configured such that a maximum of the performancecharacteristic is achieved at a value of the antenna port impedance thatcorresponds to a particular scan angle within the range of scan anglesthat differs from the boresight direction.

In accordance with another example, a method is provided forimplementing a phased array antenna having a boresight direction. A scanangle within a defined range of scan angles is selected for the phasedarray antenna such that the selected scan angle is different from a scanangle associated with the boresight direction. An antenna port impedanceassociated with each of a plurality of antenna elements comprising thephased array antenna varies with the scan angle of the phased arrayantenna. A plurality of amplifiers are each coupled to an antenna portof one of the plurality of antenna elements. Each of the plurality ofamplifiers is configured such that a maximum value for a performancecharacteristic of the plurality of amplifiers is achieved when animpedance at the antenna port corresponds to the selected scan angle.

In accordance with yet another example, a phased array antenna includesan array of antenna elements having a beam with a boresight direction. Afirst set of phase shifters is responsive to commands to adjust phasesof radio frequency (RF) signals received at the array of antennaelements. A second set of phase shifters is responsive to commands toadjust phases of transmit signals for transmission by the array ofantenna elements. A controller provides the commands to the first set ofphase shifters and the second set of phase shifters. The providedcommands are used to direct the beam within a range of scan anglesrelative to the boresight direction. A first set of amplifiers amplifiesthe signals received at the array of antenna elements. Each of the firstset of amplifiers is coupled to an antenna port of the array of antennaelements and has a first performance characteristic that depends onantenna port impedance at the antenna port. The antenna impedance varieswith a scan angle of the beam within the range of scan angles, with amaximum of the first performance characteristic achieved at a firstvalue of the antenna port impedance that corresponds to a first scanangle that differs from the boresight direction. A second set ofamplifiers amplifies the transmit signals to be transmitted by the arrayof antenna elements. Each of the second set of amplifiers is coupled toan antenna port of the array of antenna elements and has a secondperformance characteristic that depends on antenna port impedance at theantenna port with a maximum of the second performance characteristicachieved at a second value of the antenna port impedance thatcorresponds to a second scan angle that differs from each of theboresight direction and the first scan angle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other features of the present invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art to which the present inventionrelates upon reading the following description with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a chart illustrating one example of a decline in antenna gain;

FIG. 2 is a chart illustrating the performance of one example of anamplifier tuned in accordance with the system and methods presentedherein;

FIG. 3 is a chart illustrating the reduction of variation in the antennasystem performance over a range of scan angles associated with thesystem;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a phased array antenna;

FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic diagram of an antenna path with anantenna element and a low noise amplifier connected by an impedancematching network;

FIG. 6 is a Smith chart illustrating one example of an impedancetransformation provided via the impedance matching network of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a Smith chart illustrating another example of an impedancetransformation provided via the impedance matching network of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 illustrates one implementation of a phased array antennautilizing amplifiers configured for maximum performance at a scan angleother than the boresight direction;

FIG. 9 illustrates another implementation of a phased array antennautilizing amplifiers configured for maximum performance at a scan angleother than the boresight direction;

FIG. 10 illustrates yet another implementation of a phased array antennautilizing amplifiers configured for maximum performance at a scan angleother than the boresight direction; and

FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a method for implementing a phasedarray antenna having a boresight direction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In a phased array antenna, the antenna gain of the beam is reduced asthe scan angle varies from the boresight direction, where the antennaprovides maximum gain. This is referred to as scan loss. The scan angleis in the coordinate system of the antenna and may vary along multipleaxes (e.g., azimuth and elevation). FIG. 1 is a chart 10 illustratingone example of a reduction in antenna gain of an array of antennaelements of a phased array antenna, represented in decibels of gainrelative to an isotropic radiator (dBi) on a vertical axis 12 with angle(elevation angle in this example), represented in degrees relative to aboresight direction on a horizontal axis 14. As can be seen from theplot 16, the antenna gain drops significantly over a range of scanangles 18 associated with the system as the elevation angle departs fromthe boresight direction.

The performance of amplifiers coupled to the array of antenna elementsof the phased array antenna can also depend on antenna impedance of theantenna elements of the array, which changes with scan angle. Theantenna impedance can vary from embodiment to embodiment based onvarious factors, and can for example be determined empirically and/oranalytically. Optimizing amplifier performance for the antenna impedanceat the boresight direction results in a reduction in amplifierperformance at scan angles distant from the boresight direction. Oneapproach to mitigating the amplifier sensitivity to antenna impedance isto place an isolator between them. However, in large arrays, doing somay be prohibitively expensive. In addition, RF losses of the isolatorimpact antenna performance.

The combination of scan loss and reduced amplifier performance at scanangles different from the boresight direction jointly cause significantdegradation in the overall performance of an antenna system.Accordingly, the systems and methods described herein mitigate theimpact of gain loss at higher scan angles by configuring the amplifierssuch that the maximum of a performance characteristic of the amplifierscorresponds to the antenna impedance at a scan angle different than theboresight direction of maximum antenna gain. As used herein, the maximumof the performance characteristic denotes a relative maximum value overthe range of scan angles that the phased array antenna is configured tooperate via commands provided to phase shifters. The performancecharacteristic can vary from embodiment to embodiment and can depend onwhether the phased array antenna is used for transmission and/orreception. As used herein, “performance characteristic” of an amplifiergenerally refers to any metric of the amplifier for which a higher valueindicates better amplifier performance. In some embodiments, the maximumof the “performance characteristic” of the amplifier is achieved byminimizing a parameter for which a lower value indicates betterperformance. For example, in some embodiments described herein, themaximum of output signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) to input SNR of theamplifier is achieved by minimizing its noise figure, since noise figureis the ratio of input SNR to output SNR in dB.

FIG. 2 is a chart 30 illustrating the performance of one example of anamplifier configured in accordance with the system and methods presentedherein. Specifically, the amplifier is configured such that the maximumof a performance characteristic corresponds to an antenna impedance at ascan angle different from the boresight direction. The amplifierperformance is represented by a vertical axis 32 with a higher valueindicating better performance, and the elevation angle is represented indegrees relative to a boresight direction on a horizontal axis 34. Ascan be seen from the plot 36, the amplifier performance reaches amaximum value 38 maximized at a scan angle toward the center of a rangeof scan angles 40 associated with the system, as opposed to theboresight direction.

As will be described in detail herein, this reduces variation of anantenna system performance metric, for example, a gain-to-noisetemperature ratio (G/T) for a received signal or the equivalentisotropically radiated power (EIRP) for a transmit signal, over the scanangle, providing improved performance at high scan angles. FIG. 3 is achart 50 illustrating the reduction of variation in the antenna systemperformance metric over a range of scan angles 52 the phased arrayantenna is configured to operate. The antenna system performance metricis represented by a vertical axis 54 with a higher value indicatingbetter performance, and the elevation angle is represented in degreesrelative to a boresight direction on a horizontal axis 56. A first plot58 represents the performance of a system lacking the improvementsdescribed herein. As can be seen from the plot 58, the antennaperformance metric for such a system is at its maximum at the boresightdirection and sharply declines as the elevation angle varies from theboresight direction.

A second plot 60 represents the performance of a system utilizingamplifiers configured as described herein such that the maximum of aperformance characteristic of the amplifiers corresponds to the antennaimpedance at a scan angle different than the boresight direction (0degrees in this example), as shown for example in FIG. 2. At boresight,the antenna gain is at a maximum, while the amplifier performance isreduced relative to its maximum performance. Accordingly, the overallperformance of the system at the boresight direction is slightlydegraded relative to the system represented in the first plot 58. Atlarger scan angles, the antenna gain is lower, but the amplifierperformance is less degraded compared to the maximum performancecorresponding to boresight. As a result, the antenna performanceactually improves as the elevation angle departs from the boresightdirection, until a point is reached for which the antenna performance ismaximized. It will be appreciated that the maximum performance willgenerally be provided for a scan angle between the scan angle for whichthe antenna impedance has been tuned and the boresight direction. Theantenna performance then degrades gradually as the elevation angledeparts further than boresight, but significantly more gradually thanthe system represented by the first plot 58, providing superiorperformance over the majority of the range of scan angles 52. As aresult, the antenna performance is collectively maximized over the rangeof scan angles 52.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a phased array antenna 100. It will beappreciated that the phased array antenna 100 is a simplifiedrepresentation provided for the purpose of example, and that the antennacan include additional components that are not illustrated herein. Thephased array antenna comprises an array of antenna elements 102 thatprovide a beam with a boresight direction. A plurality of phase shifters104 are responsive to commands to adjust phases of a plurality of radiofrequency (RF) signals communicated with the array of antenna elements102. A controller 106 provides the commands to the plurality of phaseshifters 104. The controller 106 can be implemented in hardware, forexample, as one or more application specific integrated circuits(ASICs), custom field programmable gate array (FPGA) chips, in software,as machine executable instructions stored on a non-transitory medium andexecuted by an associated processor, or as a combination of hardware andsoftware. The provided commands are used by the plurality of phaseshifters 104 to scan the beam within a range of scan angles relative tothe boresight direction.

A plurality of amplifiers 108 amplify the plurality of signals. In theillustrated implementation, the amplifiers 108 amplify the receivedsignal, and thus may be implemented as low-noise amplifiers, although itwill be appreciated that the characteristics of the amplifiers can vary.Each of the plurality of amplifiers 108 is coupled to an antenna port ofthe array of antenna elements 102 and as a result has a performancecharacteristic that depends on antenna port impedance at the antennaport. The antenna impedance varies with a scan angle of the beam withinthe range of scan angles, and the amplifiers 108 are configured suchthat a maximum of the performance characteristic, such as output SNR toinput SNR, is achieved at a value of the antenna port impedance thatcorresponds to a particular scan angle within the range of scan anglesthat differs from the boresight direction. As mentioned above,maximizing output SNR to input SNR of the amplifiers 108 is equivalentto minimizing noise figure of the amplifiers 108, and thus minimizingnoise figure (also called “noise matched”) is described hereinafter forconvenience. The manner in which the amplifiers 108 are configured to benoise matched to the particular antenna port impedance value thatcorresponds to the particular scan angle can vary among implementations.For example, an input matching network of the amplifier may designed toprovide the appropriate impedance transformation, the amplifier biascurrent may be selected that achieves the noise match, degeneration canbe used, or any other appropriate method for selecting the impedance canbe employed.

FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic diagram of an antenna path 150 with anantenna element 152 and a low noise amplifier (LNA) 154 connected by animpedance matching network 160. The impedance matching network 160 andthe LNA 154 may for example collectively implement one of the amplifiers108 of FIG. 4. In the illustrated example, the impedance matchingnetwork 160 is implemented as a series-L network, with an inductor 162in series between the antenna element 152 and the low noise amplifier154, and a shunt capacitor 164. Values for the inductance of theinductor 162 and the capacitance of the capacitor 164 can be selected toadjust the source impedance seen at the input of the low noise amplifier154 to a desired value, Z_(opt), from a known value for the impedance,Z_(A), at a port of the antenna element 152.

FIG. 6 is a Smith chart 180 illustrating one example of an impedancetransformation provided via the impedance matching network of FIG. 5. Inthe illustrated example, a scan angle of the phase array is at theboresight, and an impedance seen at the antenna port is labeled asZ_(A). The first step in the transformation is placing an inductance,from the inductor 162, in series with the antenna output. This moves theimpedance to the point labeled Z₁ in the Smith chart. The value of theinductance is determined by the value of reactance needed to move fromZ_(A) to point Z₁ along the unity circle. The second step is to placethe shunt capacitor to arrive at the optimum source impedance Zopt. Thevalue of the capacitor is determined by the susceptance needed to movefrom point Z₁ to Z_(opt).

FIG. 7 is a Smith chart 190 illustrating another example of an impedancetransformation provided via the impedance matching network of FIG. 5. Inthe illustrated example, a scan angle of the phase array is at a scanangle different than the boresight, and the impedance seen at theantenna port is accordingly different from that depicted in FIG. 3. Theexample of FIG. 4 can also utilize the impedance matching networkillustrated in FIG. 2, but the values for the inductance of the inductor162 and the capacitance of the capacitor 164 are changed to adjust forthe change in impedance at the antenna port. In the specific example ofFIG. 4, each of the impedance and the capacitance are increased from thevalues used in FIG. 3.

Returning to FIG. 4, during operation, the illustrated phased arrayantenna 100 is configured to receive a signal from a desired scan angledirection relative to the boresight direction. Each of the plurality ofantenna elements 102 receives an element signal (also referred to hereinas “receive signals”), which is then amplified by a corresponding one ofthe plurality of amplifiers 108. The amplified element signals are thenprovided to the plurality of phase shifters 104, which appliesappropriate phase shifts to the element signals based on the desiredscan angle of the beam, as indicated by control signals (also referredto herein as “commands”) from the controller 106. The phase shiftedelement signals are then provided to a beam forming network 110, whichcombines the element signals to produce a beam signal corresponding tothe desired scan angle. In the illustrated embodiment, the desired scanangle is achieved by adjusting the phase of the element signals via thephase shifters 104. In some embodiments, the phased array antenna 100further includes amplitude adjustment circuits (e.g., variable gainamplifiers) to further adjust the amplitude of the element signals inresponse to the control signals.

One parameter determining the noise figure of a low noise amplifier isthe source impedance, Z_(source), presented at its input. Ideally,Z_(source) is a fixed value that provides the lowest noise figure(referred to as noise matched). However, in a phased array antenna, theantenna port impedance, Z_(A), referred to as the active or scanimpedance, changes with scan angle, and thus the source impedance is notconstant.

The noise optimization employed herein can be better understood from Eq(1):

$\begin{matrix}{F = {F_{\min} + {\frac{R_{N}}{G_{S}}{{Y_{S} - Y_{opt}}}^{2}}}} & {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 1}\end{matrix}$

where Y_(S)=G_(S)+jB_(S) is the source admittance presented to theactive circuitry of the amplifier, Y_(opt) is the optimum sourceadmittance that results in minimum noise figure, F_(min) is a minimumnoise figure of the active circuitry of amplifier, attained whenY_(S)=Y_(opt), R_(N) is the equivalent noise resistance of the activecircuitry of amplifier, G_(S) is the real part of source admittance, andF is the noise factor.

From Eq (1), it can be seen that if the actual source admittance, Y_(S),presented to the amplifier is equal to the optimum source impedance,Y_(opt), the second term in Eq (1) becomes zero. In this case, the noisefigure will assume the minimum value achievable. Accordingly, to improvethe overall performance of the antenna system 100 at higher scan anglesat the expense of slightly lower performance at boresight, the low noiseamplifiers are configured to be noise matched to a particular value ofthe antenna port impedance, Z_(A), that corresponds to a particular scanangle that differs from the boresight direction. Where the antennasystem is used to receive a signal having a frequency range, theparticular value of the antenna port impedance Z_(A) may be selected forone of the frequencies in the frequency range, including a maximumfrequency, a minimum frequency, a center frequency, or otherrepresentative frequency within the range.

In some implementations, the particular scan angle is selected based onthe resulting values of the antenna system performance metric at one ormore scan angles. Using the example of a gain-to-noise-temperature ratiofor the performance metric, it will be appreciated that a maximum gainof the phased array antenna 100, G(θ), is a function of the scan angle,θ, with the maximum gain being provided at boresight. Similarly, thenoise factor, and thus the noise temperature, is a function of themismatch of the source admittance presented to the amplifier to anoptimal source admittance for the amplifier, as discussed in Eq. 1. Theantenna port impedance, and thus the admittance, varies with the scanangle, θ, and thus the noise factor, F, is a function of each of thescan angle and a selected optimal source admittance for the amplifier,which we represent here as a specific scan angle, θ_(opt), for which theoptimal source impedance matches the admittance at the antenna port.

In one example, the particular scan angle may be selected to provide apredetermined minimum value of the antenna system performance metricacross a largest possible range of scan angles. It will be appreciatedthat the impedance mismatch at angles far from the boresight directionwill decrease as the particular scan angle is varied away from theboresight direction. Accordingly, in one implementation, the particularscan angle can be varied across a range of scan angles away from theboresight direction until the antenna system performance metric dropsbelow the predetermined minimum for at least one scan angle within therange, with the largest deviation of the particular scan angle from theboresight direction that maintains the minimum performance across thepredetermined range selected.

In another implementation, the value for the particular scan angle isselected to maximize a minimum value for the gain-to-noise-temperatureratio across a predetermined range of scan angles. In this instance, theoptimization problem is to select a source admittance for the amplifierthat maximizes the value:

$\begin{matrix}{\min_{i}\left( \frac{G\left( \theta_{i} \right)}{T_{0}\left\lbrack {{F\left( {\theta_{i},\theta_{opt}} \right)} - 1} \right\rbrack} \right)} & {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 2}\end{matrix}$

where θ_(i) varies within a defined range of scan angles, [θ₁, θ_(N)],and T₀ is 273 K.

It will be appreciated that the change in the gain with the scan angle,and the change in the noise angle with the scan angle can be modeledbased on a design of the phased array antenna 100, and thus an optimalvalue for θ_(opt) can be determined via an appropriate optimizationalgorithm, such as a gradient search. Alternatively, a “brute force”approach can be employed, in which each of a plurality of preselectedvalues for the particular scan angle, θ_(opt), are evaluated and amaximum value is selected.

In one implementation consistent with this example, the scan angle isselected to maintain at least a minimum value for the antennaperformance metric at a maximum scan angle of the operating range ofscan angles, such that the defined range of scan angles encompasses theentire operating range of the phased antenna array 100. Alternatively,the particular scan angle may be selected to provide the predeterminedminimum value of the antenna system performance metric across or aselected proper subset of scan angles within the range of scan angles.It will be appreciated that the selected subset of scan angles canexclude the boresight direction.

In another implementation, the particular scan angle is selected basedon the maximum scan angle, such that the selected scan angle is at apredetermined location, between the boresight direction and the maximumscan angle, such as halfway between the boresight direction and themaximum scan angle. For example, if the maximum scan angle is sixtydegrees elevation from the boresight direction, the amplifiers 108 maybe noise matched to the antenna port impedance corresponding to thirtydegrees elevation.

In a further example, the particular scan angle is selected such that atotal sum of the performance metric across all scan angles within therange of scan angles or a proper subset of the range of scan angles ismaximized. Again using the gain-to-noise-temperature ratio, theoptimization problem can be expressed as selecting the particular scanangle, θ_(opt), that maximizes the value over the defined range of scanangles, [θ₁, θ_(N)]:

$\begin{matrix}{\sum\limits_{i = 1}^{N}\left( \frac{G\left( \theta_{i} \right)}{T_{0}\left\lbrack {{F\left( {\theta_{i},\theta_{opt}} \right)} - 1} \right\rbrack} \right)} & {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 3}\end{matrix}$

FIG. 8 illustrates one implementation of a phased array antenna 200utilizing amplifiers configured for maximum performance at a scan angleother than the boresight direction. In the illustrated implementation,the phase array antenna 200 is configured to transmit a signal in adesired scan angle direction relative to a boresight direction. Abeamforming network 202 receives a beam signal that is intended to betransmitted in the desired scan angle direction. The beam formingnetwork 202 divides the beam signal into element signals (also referredto herein as “transmit signals”), which are provided to a plurality ofphase shifters 204. Each of the plurality of phase shifters 204 areresponsive to control signals from a controller 206 to provideappropriate phase shifts to the signals based on a desired scan angle ofthe beam. The phase shifted signals are then amplified by a plurality ofpower amplifiers 208 and provided to the antenna elements 210 fortransmission to produce a transmit beam in the desired scan angledirection. In the illustrated embodiment, the desired scan angle isachieved by adjusting the phase of the element signals via the phaseshifters 204. In some embodiments, the phased array antenna 100 furtherincludes amplitude adjustment circuits (e.g., variable gain amplifiers)to further adjust the amplitude of the element signals in response tothe control signals.

Power amplifiers are designed for a given output power level. Oneparameter that determines the output power level is the load impedance,Z_(Load), presented at its output. Ideally, Z_(Load) is a fixed valuethat permits the power amplifier to produce the given output powerlevel. However, in a phased array antenna, the antenna port impedance,Z_(A), changes with scan angle, and thus the load impedance Z_(Load), isnot constant. To improve an antenna performance metric, such as anequivalent radiated power or an equivalent isotropically radiated powerof the antenna, at higher scan angles at the expense of slightly lowerperformance at boresight, the power amplifiers 208 are configured toprovide maximum output power at a particular value of the antenna portimpedance, Z_(A), that corresponds to a particular scan angle thatdiffers from the boresight direction. In the illustrated implementation,a plurality of impedance matching networks 212 are implemented betweenthe antennas 210 and the amplifiers 208. The impedance matching networks212 adjust the antenna impedance to a desired load impedance. In oneimplementation, comprising an integrated circuit design, impedancematching networks can be designed using lumped components such asinductors and capacitor.

Using the example of an effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) forthe performance metric, it will be appreciated that a maximum power ofthe phased array antenna 100, G(θ), is a function of the scan angle, θ,with the maximum gain being provided at boresight. Some power can belost due to a mismatch of the impedance at the power amplifier to animpedance at the antenna port. The antenna port impedance, and thus theadmittance, varies with the scan angle, θ, and thus the reflected power,R, is a function of each of the scan angle and a selected optimal sourceimpedance for the amplifier, which we represent here as a specific scanangle, θ_(opt), for which the optimal source impedance matches theadmittance at the antenna port.

In one example, the particular scan angle may be selected to provide apredetermined minimum value of the antenna system performance metricacross a largest possible range of scan angles. It will be appreciatedthat the impedance mismatch at angles far from the boresight angle willdecrease as the particular scan angle is varied away from the boresightdirection. Accordingly, in one implementation, the particular scan anglecan be varied across a range of scan angles away from the boresightdirection until the antenna system performance metric drops below thepredetermined minimum for at least one scan angle within the range, withthe largest deviation of the particular scan angle from the boresightdirection that maintains the minimum performance across thepredetermined range selected.

In another implementation, the value for the particular scan angle isselected to maximize a minimum value for ERIP across a predeterminedrange of scan angles. In this instance, the optimization problem is toselect a source admittance for the amplifier that maximizes the value:

$\begin{matrix}{\min_{i}{\left( \frac{{I\left( \theta_{i} \right)} - {R\left( {\theta_{i},\theta_{opt}} \right)}}{I_{iso}} \right)P_{in}}} & {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 4}\end{matrix}$

where θ_(i) varies within a defined range of scan angles, [θ₁, θ_(N)],P_(in) is an power input to the system, and I_(iso) is the powerradiated in the direction of the scan angle by a hypothetical losslessisotropic antenna.

It will be appreciated that the change in the gain with the scan angle,and the change in the reflected power with the scan angle can be modeledbased on a design of the phased array antenna 100, and thus an optimalvalue for θ_(opt) can be determined via an appropriate optimizationalgorithm, such as a gradient search. Alternatively, a “brute force”approach can be employed, in which each of a plurality of preselectedvalues for the particular scan angle, θ_(opt), are evaluated and amaximum value is selected.

In one implementation consistent with this example, the scan angle isselected to maintain at least a minimum value for the EIRP at a maximumscan angle of the operating range of scan angles, such that the definedrange of scan angles encompasses the entire operating range of thephased antenna array 100. Alternatively, the particular scan angle maybe selected to provide the predetermined minimum value of the EIRP orother performance metric across a selected proper subset of scan angleswithin the range of scan angles. It will be appreciated that theselected subset of scan angles can exclude the boresight angle.

In another implementation, the particular scan angle is selected basedon the maximum scan angle, such that the selected scan angle is at apredetermined location, between the boresight direction and the maximumscan angle, such as halfway between the boresight direction and themaximum scan angle. For example, if the maximum scan angle is sixtydegrees elevation from the boresight direction, the power amplifiers 208may be noise matched to the antenna port impedance corresponding tothirty degrees elevation.

In a further example, the particular scan angle is selected such that atotal sum of the EIRP or other performance metric across all scan angleswithin the range of scan angles or a proper subset of the range of scanangles is maximized. The optimization problem can be expressed asselecting the particular scan angle, θ_(opt), that maximizes the valueover the defined range of scan angles, [θ₁, θ_(N)]:

$\begin{matrix}{\sum\limits_{i = 1}^{N}{\left( \frac{{I(\theta)} - {R\left( {\theta,\theta_{opt}} \right)}}{I_{iso}} \right)P_{in}}} & {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 5}\end{matrix}$

FIG. 9 illustrates another implementation of a phased array antenna 300utilizing amplifiers configured for maximum performance at a scan angleother than the boresight direction. In the illustrated implementation,the phase array antenna 300 is configured in a half-duplex arrangementto transmit and receive radio frequency signals in a desired scan angledirection relative to a boresight direction. In the half-duplexarrangement, two sets of transmit/receive (Tx-Rx) switches 302 and 303are used to switch the antenna 300 between a transmission path and areceive path for each of a plurality of antenna elements 304. Duringtransmission, a beamforming network 306 receives a beam signal that isintended to be transmitted in the desired scan angle direction. The beamforming network 306 divides the beam signal into element signals, whichare provided to a plurality of phase shifters 308. Each of the pluralityof phase shifters 308 are responsive to control signals from acontroller 309 to provide appropriate phase shifts to the signals basedon a desired scan angle of the beam. The phase shifted signals are thenamplified by a plurality of power amplifiers (PAs) 310-312 and providedto the antenna elements 304 for transmission to produce a transmit beamin the desired scan angle direction.

During reception, each of the plurality of antenna elements 304 receivesan element signal, which is then amplified by a corresponding one of aplurality of low noise amplifiers (LNAs) 314-316. The amplified signalsare then provided to the plurality of phase shifters 308, which applyappropriate phase shifts to the signals based on the desired scan angleof the beam, as provided by the controller 309. The phase shiftedsignals are then provided to the beam forming network 306, whichcombines the signals to produce a beam signal corresponding to thedesired scan angle.

Due to reciprocity, the antenna port impedance, Z_(A), of the antennaelements versus scan angle is the same for transmission and reception,assuming the same frequencies are used. However, the performancevariation of the low noise amplifiers with changes in the antenna portimpedance can be different than the performance variation of the poweramplifiers for varying antenna port impedance. These differences inamplifier performance variation may result in different values of theantenna port impedance, and thus different particular scan angles, beingselected for the low noise amplifiers 314-316 and power amplifiers310-312, respectively. The receive performance metric for reception,such as a gain-to-noise temperature ratio, may depend on the performancevariation of the low noise amplifiers 314-316 differently than the wayin which the performance metric for transmission, such as an equivalentisotropically radiated power, depends on the performance variation ofthe power amplifiers 310-312. Accordingly, in some implementations, thelow noise amplifiers are configured to be noise matched at a first valueof the antenna port impedance that corresponds to a first scan angle,while the power amplifiers are configured for maximum output power atthe second value of the antenna port impedance that corresponds to asecond scan angle different than the first scan angle.

FIG. 10 illustrates yet another implementation of a phased array antenna400 utilizing amplifiers configured for maximum performance at a scanangle other than the boresight direction. In the illustratedimplementation, the phase array antenna 400 is configured in a frequencydivision duplex arrangement to transmit and receive radio frequencysignals in a desired scan angle direction relative to a boresightdirection. In the frequency division duplex arrangement, two sets ofdiplexers 402-404 and 406-408 that permit a plurality of antennaelements 410 to be used for both transmit and receive. Duringtransmission, a beamforming network 412 receives a beam signal that isintended to be transmitted in the desired scan angle direction. The beamforming network 412 divides the beam signal into element signals, whichare provided to a plurality of phase shifters 414. Each of the pluralityof phase shifters 414 are responsive to control signals from acontroller 416 to provide appropriate phase shifts to the signals basedon a desired scan angle of the beam. The phase shifted signals are thenamplified by a plurality of power amplifiers (PAs) 420-422 and providedto the antenna elements 410 for transmission to produce a transmit beamin the desired scan angle direction.

During reception, each of the plurality of antenna elements 410 receivesan element signal, which is then amplified by a corresponding one of aplurality of low noise amplifiers (LNAs) 424-426. The amplified signalsare then provided to the plurality of phase shifters 414, which applyappropriate phase shifts to the signals based on the desired scan angleof the beam, as provided by the controller 416. The phase shiftedsignals are then provided to the beam forming network 412, whichcombines the signals to produce a beam signal corresponding to thedesired scan angle.

Since different frequencies are used for transmission and reception, thechange in the antenna port impedance of the antenna elements across scanangles can be different for transmission and reception. As a result,different values of the antenna port impedance may be selected for thelow-noise amplifiers and power amplifiers respectively. Accordingly, insome implementations, the low noise amplifiers are configured to benoise matched at a first value of the antenna port impedance thatcorresponds to a first scan angle, while the power amplifiers areconfigured for maximum output power at the second value of the antennaport impedance that corresponds to a second scan angle different thanthe first scan angle.

In view of the foregoing structural and functional features describedabove, an example method will be better appreciated with reference toFIG. 11. While, for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the examplemethod of FIG. 11 is shown and described as executing serially, it is tobe understood and appreciated that the present examples are not limitedby the illustrated order, as some actions could in other examples occurin different orders, multiple times and/or concurrently from that shownand described herein. Moreover, it is not necessary that all describedactions be performed to implement a method.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a method 500 for implementing a phasedarray antenna having a boresight direction. At 502, a scan angle withina defined range of scan angles for the phased array antenna is selectedsuch that the selected scan angle is different from a scan angleassociated with the boresight direction. At 504, a plurality ofamplifiers, each coupled to an antenna port of one of the plurality ofantenna elements, are configured such that a maximum value for aperformance characteristic of the plurality of amplifiers is achievedwhen an impedance at the antenna port corresponds to the selected scanangle. In one implementation, the amplifiers are configured by providingan impedance matching network for each of the plurality of amplifiers toadjust the impedance at the antenna port to which the amplifier isconnected.

It will be appreciated that the scan angle can be selected to maximize aperformance metric for the phased array antenna across a range of scanangles, which can include all scan angles in an operating range of thephased array antenna or a proper subset of the operating range.Appropriate performance metrics for the phased array antenna caninclude, for example, a gain-to-noise temperature ratio, an effectiveradiated power, and an effective isotropic radiated power. In oneimplementation, the scan angle is selected to provide an extrema for afunction of a performance metric for the phased array antenna across allscan angles within all or a subset of the defined range. For example,the scan angle can be selected to maximize a total sum of theperformance metric across all scan angles within all or a subset of thedefined range. Alternatively, the scan angle can be selected to maximizea minimum value for the performance metric across all scan angles withinall or a subset of the defined range.

The desired properties for an antenna array may differ for reception andtransmission for the antenna. As a result, in one implementation, eachof a first scan angle that is different from the scan angle associatedwith the boresight direction and a second scan angle that is differentfrom both the scan angle associated with the boresight direction and thefirst scan angle can be selected. A first set of amplifiers that amplifyreceive signals, such as low noise amplifiers, can be configured suchthat a maximum value for a first performance characteristic is achievedwhen the impedance at the antenna port corresponds to the first scanangle, and a second set of amplifiers that amplify transmit signals,such as power amplifiers, can be configured such that a maximum valuefor a second performance characteristic is achieved when the impedanceat the antenna port corresponds to the second scan angle. Accordingly,the antenna array can be optimized for both its transmission andreception functions.

What have been described above are examples. It is, of course, notpossible to describe every conceivable combination of components ormethodologies, but one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatmany further combinations and permutations are possible. Accordingly,the disclosure is intended to embrace all such alterations,modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of thisapplication, including the appended claims. As used herein, the term“includes” means includes but not limited to, the term “including” meansincluding but not limited to. The term “based on” means based at leastin part on. Additionally, where the disclosure or claims recite “a,”“an,” “a first,” or “another” element, or the equivalent thereof, itshould be interpreted to include one or more than one such element,neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements.

1. A system comprising: a plurality of amplifiers to amplify theplurality of signals, wherein each of the plurality of amplifiers isconfigured to connect to an antenna port of an array of antenna elementsand has a performance characteristic that depends on an antenna portimpedance at the antenna port; a plurality of phase shifters, eachconfigured to adjust a phase of a signal communicated with an antennaelement of the array of antenna elements; and a controller to providecommands to the plurality of phase shifters, wherein the providedcommands are used by the plurality of phase shifters to direct the beamwithin a range of scan angles relative to a boresight direction of aphased array antenna comprising the array of antenna elements; whereinthe antenna impedance varies with a scan angle of the beam within therange of scan angles, and a maximum of the performance characteristic isachieved at a value of the antenna port impedance that corresponds to aparticular scan angle that differs from the boresight direction.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of impedance matchingnetworks, each of the impedance matching networks adjusting theimpedance at the antenna port such that the maximum value for theperformance characteristic is achieved when the antenna port impedancecorresponds to the particular scan angle.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein the particular scan angle within the range of scan angles isselected to maximize a performance metric of the phased array antenna.4. The system of claim 3, wherein the particular scan angle is selectedsuch that a minimum value for the performance metric across all scanangles within the range of scan angles is maximized.
 5. The system ofclaim 3, wherein the particular scan angle is selected such that a totalsum of the performance metric across all scan angles within the range ofscan angles is maximized.
 6. The system of claim 3, wherein the range ofscan angles defines a maximum scan angle, and the particular scan angleis selected to be halfway between the boresight direction and themaximum scan angle.
 7. The system of claim 3, wherein the particularscan angle is selected to maximize a function of the performance metricacross all scan angles within a proper subset of the defined range ofscan angles.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the proper subset of thedefined range of scan angles does not include the boresight direction.9. The system of claim 3, wherein the plurality of amplifiers are eachconfigured to amplify a signal of the plurality of signals fortransmission at an associated antenna element, the performance metriccomprising one of an effective radiated power for the phased arrayantenna and an effective isotropic radiated power for the phased arrayantenna.
 10. The system of claim 3, wherein the plurality of amplifierscomprise a first plurality of amplifiers, each configured to amplify asignal of the plurality of signals received at an associated antennaelement, the performance metric comprising a gain to noise temperatureratio for the phased array antenna.